


Listen for The Melody of a Flute, Alone in Sorrow

by LLN3dseestheLight



Series: Listen for The Melody of a Flute, Alone in Sorrow [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Attempted Murder, Betrayal, Blood, Canon - Chinese Drama, F/F, F/M, Female Xander Harris, For The Untamed, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Reincarnation, Rule 63, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sort Of, Spoilers, Spoilers up to Seasnon Three for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Suicide Attempt, Temporary Character Death, Time Skips, Xander Harris is Wei Ying|Wei Wuxian, fake suicide, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:20:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24603814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LLN3dseestheLight/pseuds/LLN3dseestheLight
Summary: Lan Zhan sealed away the Stygian Tiger Seal, in a land far from their homelands as instructed by his dying young husband, not knowing in doing so that he was sealing Wei Wuxian’s soul along with it. Lan Zhan left the Stygian Tiger Seal in a wellspring hoping that the energy would help conceal it. Still, dark energy began to gather around the artifact, creating what would become known as the Boca del Inferno.Lan Wangji was a modern teenager; he had no interest in the past that his older brother and uncle keep harping on him about. What use does he have for an ancient sword or a Chinese instrument that he doesn’t know how to play? Little did he know that the past was about to come full circle and become his present.Life had betrayed Xander Harris in many ways, parents that didn’t want her, classmates that ridiculed her, friends that were at most times indifferent to her. So, when Xander was stabbed in the back…literally! She should have been upset or angry; instead, she found herself growing resentful…
Relationships: Angel/Buffy Summers, Cordelia Chase/Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān, Jiang Cheng|Jiang Wanyin/Lan Xichen|Lan Huan, Lan Zhan|Lan Wangji/Wei Ying|Wei Wuxian, Xander Harris/Lan Zhan|Lan Wangji
Series: Listen for The Melody of a Flute, Alone in Sorrow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778596
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. At Journey’s End

_Why does everything I touch turn to shit?_ Xander Harris, Courtesy name, Wuxian, the _Yiling_ _Matriarch_ , wondered watching the…utter carnage of the battle that was taking place below her. The brightness of the light of the full moon made the action clear to see from her vantage point as she stood near the edge of Kingsman’s Bluff. The tails of her long black and red leather trench coat rustled from the winds that blew, causing them to beat against her legs like the wings of a bird against bars of a cage.

Cage? Yes, that was the reason why she was here. They wanted to cage her. Well, some of them. The others had tried to use Xander for her power. Or more likely for the power of the Stygian Tiger Seal. The corner of Xander’s mouth tipped up in what might have been called a smirk. If it wasn’t for the horror that shone in her sorrow-filled brown eyes. As Xander watched the chameleon shaped piece of Stygian Iron bounce away from the greedy fingertips of all who attempted to catch it.

The joke was on them, though. Even if one could keep a hold of it. No one would ever be able to use it. Xander learned quite well from the mistakes of the past. Only she and one other would be able to wield it. Though Xander knew that _he_ would never contemplate the thought of it.

Xander watched as her friends, her family as they fought this battle. It was a losing one she knew. It was always going to be even if they didn’t realize that or believed it. Her heart turning colder as each person fell to blades, fangs or claws…

Buffy Summers, the Golden Slayer, was ironically the first to go down, stabbed through the back by Faith Lehane, the Dark Slayer. The scream of pain and denial that Angel let loose would have amused her if she hadn’t remembered that Buffy had once been her friend. Xander had forgiven Faith for the betrayal of her, if it hadn’t been for what Faith had done…many of the good things that had come into Xander’s life, wouldn’t have. Faith worked hard over the years to prove that she was worthy of Xander’s forgiveness.

Buffy turning against Xander, had hurt more than she wanted to admit. Buffy Summers was more the Watcher’s Council’s creature now than the girl that had been her friend all those years ago. Her lover, Angel, the _Souled Vampire_ , fought like a man possessed. Which was ironic, because vampires were nothing more than demon-possessed corpses. Angel had been the biggest thorn in Xander’s side. He had been the one to sow the distrust of Xander into Buffy’s ear.

Wen Ning, the _Reborn Ghost General,_ was a whirling dervish, the chains that once bound him, in that long-ago other life, was now his most potent weapon. The clinking of the _spirit-power_ _infused_ glowing orange-red chains, sounding like modern lasers, as they cut through vampires, demons, and humans alike. Xander was almost sorry that this shy, kind boy who had become her friend once more took up the mantle of Wei Ying Wuxian’s fierce general.

Jiang Cheng, lay in his lover’s, Lan Xichen arms, bleeding from the lucky swipe of a werewolf’s claws, on his upper thigh as Cheng’s twin-sister, Yanli, watched with tears rolling down her face, their roles reversed in this life. It had been Cheng that stepped between the wolf and his sister, rather than Yanli and a sword for Wei Ying.

Yanli’s tears didn’t stop her from wielding the bracelet, _Zidian,_ with masterful perception, the purple spirit whip flew through the air striking down her enemies. Guarding her back was none other any Cordelia Chase-Jin, _Seer of the Powers That Be_ , and Jin Zixuan, Yanli, and Cordelia’s husband.

Wen Ning, Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen, Jin Yanli, Cordelia Chase-Jin, and Jin Zixuan, Xander was glad to have the support of her family in this she had been far luckier than Wei Ying…though this endeavor would only end in their deaths.

Idly, Xander spun _Chenging_ , between her fingers in a bored fashion. She couldn’t play it anymore, the damage to her lungs by the Resentful Energy had been too much, it was getting harder to breathe. Time, she knew, was growing short. This…this had to end. And to that, Xander only saw one way to stop it. _What a shame_ , Xander thought with a sigh to herself, _I was looking forward to…_ Xander’s thoughts were cut off at the sound of someone calling her name. She shuddered and backed away, she couldn’t give in to the temptation.

Xander could see, Lan Wangji, the newly named _Lord Hanguang, and how fitting was that name?_ Xander thought as the teenager came closer to her. Dressed in that pristine white hoodie jacket, white jeans, and shoes, the white ribbon of Cloud Recesses on his forehead, the only spot of color was his hair, a few inches of black where it had grown out in the last few months since she had seen him, the ends dipped in cobalt blue.

He walked towards her with his hand out, his face was blank of expression but his eyes? _Oh_ , how his eyes begged her to… “Come back.” It was said in a flat, emotionless tone.

Xander felt a tear run down her cheek, but she ignored it. What else could she do? Xander had brought all of this onto herself. She had known what would happen if she had walked the path that Wei Ying Wuxian, the _Yiling Patriarch_ , had.

It hadn’t been the _first_ time, after all.

“There is no coming back, you know this…” she said to Lan Wangji.

He shook his head at her, “Can.”

“Cannot,” Xander replied, taking another step back. “You know how this was going to end for us. How it was always going to end, this dance doesn’t change even if the music does. We’d already had two chances more than most ever get.”

Lan Wangji frowned, “Isn’t the third time supposed to be the charm?”

_Now? He chooses now? To find a sense of humor?_ Xander wondered incredulously. “More like three strikes and you’re out.”

“Don’t believe that,” Lan Wangji said coming closer, to her, “Either do you!” He shouted, throwing up a hand in anger.

That was when Xander saw the blood that soaked the left arm of his hoodie, from shoulder to wrist. He was hurt, he was bleeding because of her! And she couldn’t stand it! That’s all it seemed Xander had done since she had met the boy, was get him hurt. Why did he stand there and look at her in that way?

****

**_“You know why, Xander,”_** A voice in her head, that wasn’t her own, whispered to her, **_My_** _Lan Zhan **would die for us if we asked it of him. You know that.”**_

_“I would never ask that of Lan Wangji!”_ Xander yelled at the voice in her head.

****

**_“Ah,”_** Xander could see the vague outline of a young man of Asian descent standing beside her; he looked to be in his early twenties. His long black hair, and red and black robes, blowing wilding around from the harsh breeze coming from the sea below the cliff that they stood on, **_“but that’s the thing…you wouldn’t have too. He would do it because he loves us and wants nothing more than to be by our side. You denied him that right.”_**

_“So, did you once.”_ Xander hissed back. And Wei Ying had by merely denying what he felt for Lan Zhan. She and Wei Ying were no different when it came to how they dealt with these feelings. Mostly, just not doing so.

****

**_“I? I never.”_** Wei Ying protested.

“Wei Ying **!”**

At the sound of the voice, the image of Wei Ying looked started, then only sad as he stepped in front of Xander as she took a step forward, letting the spirit of Wei Ying, physical rejoin her once more. Xander blinked and looked at the boy that stood before her. She grimaced, it wasn’t Lan Wangji standing there anymore, she could see the ghostly figure superimposed over him, the long white robes are worn by the cultivators in a bygone era, long black waist-length hair. He too held out a hand, but Xander knew it wasn’t for her. Never for her, only for,

“Wei Ying!”

Xander’s grimace turned into a sneer, always _Wei-Ying_. But that was unfair, considering that she _was_ Wei-Ying, sort of. Just like Lan Wangji _was_ Lan Zhan. Her relationship with this boy was just so damned complicated. But it didn’t stop her from saying, coldly, taking another step back, “And that’s only who you care about isn’t, _Light Bearing Lord?_ ” Xander could feel the drop off just under the edge of her heels; it was time, “There is only one way to stop this, and your precious Wei-Ying agrees with me.”

Xander let _Chenging_ fall from her fingers and spread her arms wide, letting herself fall back. She could hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below the cliff. This would be a good death. It was the only one she’d ever dreamed for herself to have, it was only right that this time Wei Wuxian didn’t cheat it. Xander felt the winds ruffle her lengthy hair, snagging at the scarlet ribbon weaved one of the thins braids behind her ear, trying to pull it free.

Free, yes, perhaps she, no, _they_ , would finally be free of this cursed existence.

Xander was jolted out of her thoughts as her fall was halted. By a hand wrapped around her wrist, the tugging pressure from having all of her weight hanging by her trapped wrist was not a _pleasant_ sensation by any means. Her eyes flashed up to see… _Lan Wangji._ He stared down at her, with what Xander could only call desperation in his eyes.

“Let me go.” Xander told him, “It's okay…”

“No!” Said Lan Wangji, or was it, _Lan Zhan_ now? Xander wasn’t sure it mattered anymore. “Wei Ying promised…not again.”

“Wei Ying…” Xander said, even she could hear the hollowness in her voice when she spoke the name, _his_ name, _her_ name, …not that it mattered anymore.

“Wei Ying’s heart belongs to _Lan Zhan_! He promised! Not alone anymore!” Lan Zhan cried tears in his eyes. No one should cause such a beautiful boy to cry, and Xander had done that, Wei Ying had done that to this boy more than once. Xander took a deep breath, almost choking, because…owe, her chest hurt. The boy above her narrowed his eyes and hissed, “And Xander Harris’ heart belongs to me, _Lan Wangji_!”

Xander could only stare up at Lan Wangji in shock as blood poured down Lan Wangji's arm over Xander’s wrist, coating it in the young cultivator’s blood. Lan Wangji tried to tighten his hold, but Xander knew the effort was a futile one. Xander was going to fall from this cliff, that was her fate, just like it had been Wei Ying’s before her.

“Xander Harris,” a cold voice stated from above Lan Wangji, they both looked up to see, Angel, standing there holding a sword looking like every picture Xander had ever seen of any of the Arch-Angels in mid-battle. “it’s time to end this…” he looked at Lan Wangji, “Let her go!”

“I won’t.”

“All of this will end if you just let her fall to her death. No one will blame you.” Angel said.

“I will bear the blame.” Lan Wangji said, and Xander knew he didn’t mean for letting her fall to her death, but if she lived, and the new horrors she would bring them as the _Yiling Matriarch_.

Xander saw the cold look Angel gave Lan Wangji and thought that the vampire would turn the sword he held on Xander the way Jiang Cheng had on Wei Ying but no, no, of course, that’s not what Angel did…he placed the tip at Lan Wangji back. Lan Wangji knew the sword was there, he _had_ _to_ _know_ it was there! But Lan Wangji stubbornly held onto her wrist, Angel brought back the sword and Xander knew that Angel would drive it through the Second Jade’s back and through his heart. Perhaps that would have been a kinder fate than what Xander planned to do.

“No!” Xander yelled, using what little Resentful Energy that was left surrounding her, the smoky black shadows surrounded her, yanking her whole body back, as she jerked her wrist from Lan Wangji’s grip. Her stomach seized up into her throat as the sensation of falling encompassed her.

“WEI YING!”

“XANDER!”

Strange how just for a moment, Xander thought there had been two voices calling her name. But she didn’t think too hard on that, she would have regrets if she did. All Xander knew for sure was once she hit bottom…

The hurting would stop.


	2. CHAPTER TWO: It Starts With Betrayal...

**Three Years Ago,**

The sinking feeling of free fall surprised her, as the chair tipped too far back, it was the sudden slamming into the ground that hurt. Laying on the floor of the high school library, Xander gasped, blinking rapidly, trying to catch her breath. She raised a shaking hand, rubbing it over her face. She’d fallen asleep while helping research the demon that had kicked Buffy’s ass all over town two nights ago. Needless, to say that had put Buffy into high Slayer mode. The blonde girl hated it whenever any demon or vampire got the drop on her. Xander could understand why. All it would take was for Buffy to have one bad night and them to have a lucky shot…and a new slayer would be called.

It had been that _dream_ again…Xander thought, it was always the same, she was falling, down, down, down, seemingly forever as someone screamed in panicked denial. Herself? Or someone else, Xander, was never sure. Waking from the dream, she always felt like she had lost something important to her. Though she could never figure out _what_ that was…or made, it was _who_ that was?

The dream started tormenting Xander shortly after her fifteenth birthday. For almost two years now…and if it wasn’t that dream, it was the other one. The one everyone she loved, though sometimes Xander didn’t recognize their faces, she knew she loved them. As they died before her eyes, while she could do nothing to stop it. Xander preferred the dream about falling off a cliff.

Scarlet and Sunlight colored hair obscured her vision as two concerned faces fill her line of sight. Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenburg looked down at her in concern.

“Are you alright, Xander?” Willow asked amusement, laced her voice. Because the redhead had known Xander the longest, knew just how clumsy Xander was on a good day. Xander grimaced a sitting up, rubbing the back of her head, grinning said,

“Yeah, if I had hit anything other than my head? That might be another story.”

“That’s the third time today you’ve fallen asleep, Xan,” Buffy said, helping Xander stand up.

Xander rubbed the back of her neck with a low groan. That was true. She’d been kept awake by her parents fighting again. Xander wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but they were starting to scare her. She was sure one day she would come home to find one or the other to have been murdered by the other.

“Yeah, sorry about that. What were we talking about again?” Xander asked.

“Patrol,” Buffy said, her blue eyes had an angry expression in them, “As in I have to go on it instead of on a date with Angel.”

Xander muffled a sigh, hidden as a yawn. Xander didn’t hate the souled vampire, but the guy did love Buffy, but she would never like him. He came across as creepy. Because the guy had to have been in his late twenties when he died. What did the two of them have to even talk about that wasn’t the slaying of the demon of the week? Vaguely Xander wondered if she was jealous because the blond Slayer had a boyfriend and that Xander didn’t? Did she even want a boyfriend? Boys seemed to be way too complicated and troublesome in Xander’s opinion.

“You’re supposed to go with Faith to Restfield Cemetery, right?” Xander asked.

“Yes,” Buffy rolled her eyes, “Giles wants me to show her all the normal patrol paths. Why I have to do this, I don’t know. It’s not hard, you just go where all the vampires do. Faith’s a smart girl. I’m sure she could figure that out.”

Faith Lehane was smart, cunning, and had the type of attitude that would ultimately get her killed. Luckily, she had the Scooby Gang to watch her back. And Xander had the best idea!!! It would make everyone happy, “Why don’t I go on patrol with her?”

“What?” Buffy asked, surprised. Why she was Xander had no idea, it wasn’t like she hadn’t ever gone on patrol with Buffy before, she had.

“Xander, you can’t,” Willow said.

Xander frowned, “Why not?” Willow shook her head, and her voice, when she spoke, had that ‘Xander’s so silly’ tone that Xander had come to loath hearing.

“Because you’re a _norma_ l human, Xander.”

Xander blinked because she couldn’t believe _that_ just came out of Willow’s mouth. Xander responded with, “ _You’re_ a normal human, and you go on patrol with Buffy as much as I do.”

Willow shook her head again, “But I’m learning witchy-magic,” and the implied snooty, ‘and you’re not’ was just mean.

“You know,” a sultry voice came from the book stacks behind the three girls, they turned to see Faith, leaning on one of them. “X-girl as a point. The way I understand it? Red was going on patrol with B long before she got the magic touch. I don’t see why Xan can’t show me around the curves. She’s lived in Sunny-D, all her life and must now the town much better than even B, who only moved here…what was it? Last year?”

Both the redhead and blond had the same put outlook on their faces. Xander ignored their displeasure and walked over to Faith, “Great! I’ll go on patrol with Faith. Buffy can go on here date with Deadboy,” Buffy’s expression brightened at that.

“And Willow can complain to Oz over the phone about how I’m putting myself in danger instead of asking the boy out on a date,” Xander may have enjoyed how red Willow’s face turned at her words.

“Xander!” Willow exclaimed.

“Okay, okay, I won’t tease you about him,” Xander said. It was cute. The crush she had on the teenage musician, sooner or later, the boy was going to notice Willow’s low-key stalking of him at the Bronze, and then Willow will have to actually talk to him. Or run away. Xander had her money on running away. “Come on, Faith, we still have a couple of hours until sundown. Let’s head over to the Sundae Café for a milkshake before patrol.”

Faith pressed her lips together, “Hmm, I’m more of a banana split kind of girl.”

Xander only sighed, “Of course, you are,” as she gathered up her school books and shoved them into her backpack. “Let’s drop this off at my locker and motor.” Turning to Buffy and Willow, “Have fun, you too.”

“Bye, Xan,” Buffy said absently, her mind already filled with thoughts of Angel. Knowing Faith would do her job as the Slayer. Ever since Faith had come to Sunnydale Buffy had treated the younger girl with a mix of disdain and mentorship, Xander knew Buffy saw the girl as her way to having the average life of a teenage girl that she always wanted.

“Be careful, Xander,” Willow said, eyeing Faith distrustfully. Xander didn’t know where this dislike Willow had of Faith came from, as far as Xander knew Faith had never done anything to earn the amount of hate Willow had shown. Faith had tried to befriend the redhead only to be rebuffed time and time again. Until Faith had stopped even talking to Willow at all.

Xander shook her head. It wouldn’t do to try and figure out what was going on in their heads. That way lay madness, Xander knew. So instead, she shouldered her backpack and followed Faith out of the library.

***

Lan Wangji ran a hand through the strands of his newly cut, dyed, cobalt blue hair, that tumble over his forehead. He glared up at the manor house before him, he hadn’t wanted to come here, he had been happy at his boarding school in China. He didn’t know why his uncle had called him home. Wangji was sure that his brother, Huan, something to do with it. Huan was always sticking his nose in Wangji’s life. He knew his brother loved him, but…

Wangji sighed. Huan hadn’t been interested in his life until four years ago. Their uncle had stepped down as leader of the Lan Sect, and Huan had taken over as leader once he had claimed one of the Lan family’s swords, _Shuoyue._ That was when his big brother seemed to change into a different person overnight, or maybe the change happened slowly, and Wangji just hadn’t noticed? That was the more likely thing to have happened, no one’s personality changes overnight and Wangji was sent away to school shortly after that. Maybe his brother just grew up into an adult, and Wangji just hadn’t noticed?

Wangji paid no attention to the cab driver that unloaded his suitcase from the back of the cab, he took a deep breath. He hadn’t wanted to come back here. He looked up at the sound of creaking chains as the wooden sigh shifted back and forth from the winds that pressed upon it. Wangji didn’t even bother to read the words on it. He knew what it said,

_Be at peace in the clouds, but beware of brewing storms,_ Wangji thought, Cloud Recesses, hadn’t been his home in years but he was back, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do now?

“Wangji!”

Wangji was pulled from his thoughts, he looked up to see his brother, dressed in the traditional white robes that many in the Lan Sect wore. For a moment, Wangji thought it was odd, Huan had preferred the more outlandish style worn by many of the male Asian actors or pop idols. Seeing Huan dressed like an extra from a historical Chinese drama was disconcerting, to say the least. Huan was followed by a young man dressed in the plain white robes of a Lan Sect disciple. Huan motioned to the disciple to the cab driver, and a white-robed young man paid the impatient driver and gathered up Wangji’s suitcases and quickly walked back into the courtyard of the manor house. Huan threw his arms around Wangji, stiffened in surprise. They weren’t the kind of family that showed physical affection…ever.

“It’s good you are home, little brother,” Huan murmured into Wangji’s ear, he stepped back, “you have been missed.”

“Have I?” Wangji narrowed his eyes at his brother. The way Wangji remembered it, Huan, couldn’t wait to send Wangji way to school.

“You have,” Huan confirmed, with a kind look.

Maybe Huan had missed him, Wangji thought, for he had missed his big brother. Not that he would ever tell Huan that. He’s instead someone rips out his tongue than admit he had missed Huan.

“Uncle missed you as well, I’m sure.”

Wangji couldn’t stop the snort of disbelief he released. Uncle Qiren didn’t like Wangji, he never had, and Wangji wasn’t sure why maybe it was because he was only the second son and not the heir to the Lan Sect, therefore not important enough to like? Or perhaps it was because Wangji didn’t give a shit about all the rules that members of the Lan Sect were supposed to follow all the time. It had always seemed like such a drag to be bound to so many rules. Not that Wangji didn’t think rules weren’t necessary, they are. Rules kept order and the world mostly civilized, but… Three _thousand_ rules seemed a bit excessive to him.

“Did he?” Wangji asked.

Huan smiled. It was bland and polite and didn’t answer Wangji’s question. Lying was against the rules of the Lan Sect. And by not speaking, Huan was not actually breaking any of the rules, “Come, let’s get you settled into your room. We will be celebrating your return with your favorite meal tonight, and after there is something, I want to show you.”

Wangji eyed his brother warily but nodded. Huan turned and walked through the doorway of Cloud Recesses, he paused in the courtyard when he noticed Wangji hadn’t followed him. Wangji stared up at the sign, _beware of brewing storms,_ he wondered if he would be able to weather the oncoming storm he could feel was brewing just around the corner? Wangji sighed, stepped through the doorway, and followed after his older brother.

***

Xander and Faith had run a couple of rounds of patrol in the central part of town after they had got done eating at the café, and the sun finally went down before heading over to Restfield Cemetery. It had taken them a while to get there. The vamps had been out in droves tonight for some reason. It was like that sometimes. Some nights you couldn’t go a block without running into one and other nights? You couldn’t find a single one roaming the streets. The moon was high and bright by night; they began to weave their way around the graveyard grounds. Faith had staked six vampires, Xander had gotten two and would have gotten more, but Faith was greedy and had to have all the vamp staking tonight.

By the time they had made their way to the other side of the graveyard, by Yiling Street, things had calmed down. Xander bends over, panting for breath. It was always such a rush to fight a vampire, to stake one, and survive the encounter. Faith frowned looking around,

“What is that?”

“What is what?” Xander asked, having no idea what she meant.

“That…dark, feeling,” Faith muttered, looking around, then pointed towards some tall standing grey-black stones that surrounded an opening in the ground.

“Oh, those are the Burial Ground Warning Stones,” Xander said.

“What?”

Xander blinked, everyone knew about the Warning Stones… oh, right, Faith hadn’t lived in Sunnydale all her life, so Faith wouldn’t know. Faith wandered closer to the stones and Xander followed her, “It’s said that before Sunnydale was a town, hell before California was even a state or before America was even a country when only the native peoples had made this their home. An outsider came,” Xander stepped closer to the Warning Stones, and ran a finger down the front on one, shivering at the dark power she could feel pulsing from it.

“…and buried a dangerous and powerful artifact deep in these lands. The native peoples erected the Warning Stones as a way to warn people not to settle here. Well, people are terminally stupid, but not complete idiots, and these became a Burial Ground not just for the natives that once lived here but for the people who settled Sunnydale.” Xander said, “…It’s said that the Stones once bore the symbols of the native people and…oddly enough Chinese lettering.”

“That doesn’t explain why this place feels like it’s surrounded by darkness.” Faith said.

Xander shrugged, “Most of Sunnydale feels like it’s surrounded by a layer of darkness and resentment.”

“Just seems stronger here.”

Xander pulled her fingers from the stones. Turning Xander to look down at the opening in the ground. She had heard that it led to an underground cave system that went all over under the town, and led into the sewer system. Or maybe that was the other way around? Xander also had her stories that it was an opening into Tartarus or to hell itself. She dismissed the second. The gateway to hell was under the high school. Well, in many legends, heroes made way to Tartarus through holes the ground, caves, or by diving into lakes with underground caves. Xander wasn’t going deny that possib— Xander stumbled as something slammed into her back, she grabbed onto one of the Warning Stones, “Faith,” she mumbled as the stabbing pain hit her, looking down, she saw a flash of silver. It was the blade of the long dagger that Faith favored when she killed demons.

“Sorry, X-girl,” Faith tried to say with her usual purr, but only manage to sound sincerely sorry, “but it had to be done,” Xander could heard Faith’s voice wobble, “I’ll never find a place with them as long as you’re here. I have to get in with Buffy and have her trust me.”

“When they,” Xander gasped out, “won’t trust you…”

“They won’t find out,” Faith’s voice hardens, “will they?”

“Don’t…do…”

“Buffy little squad will fall apart without you,” Faith hissed in Xander’s ear, as she jerked the dagger out of Xander, causing the other girl to scream in pain. Faith pulled Xander away from the stone she was leaning against. And over to the opening in the ground, “after all who can survive without a heart?”

Xander felt the palm of Faith’s hand her between her shoulder blade, shoving Xander into the opening, as Xander fell she thought she heard Faith whisper good-bye. The sensation of free fall to close to that of her dreams caused bile to rise in Xander’s throat so she couldn’t even scream in the terror that she felt consuming her during her fall.

Images of Xander’s parents fighting flashed before her eyes, she knew they wouldn’t miss her. Flashes of people she went to school with and had ridiculed her for not having the newest style of clothing or the popular hair cut or a boyfriend, they wouldn’t miss her. Images of Buffy, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and Giles filled her mind. If they were not consumed with the drama of their own lives? Maybe they would miss her if she died—

Xander hit the ground, everything…stopped.


	3. CHAPTER THREE- Awaken Lan Zhan…

Wangji wished he could say he enjoyed the meal served by the servants. It seemed so important to his brother that he did so, but he just couldn’t pretend. He wanted to be anywhere but here… He barely paid any attention to the conversation his uncle was having with Huan. It was Lan Sect business and not his concern until they told him it was. That was the way it had always been. Thankful dinner passed quickly, and then it was over. His uncle retired for the night. Huan motioned for Wangji to follow him. A few minutes later, they stood in the room that stored the Lan Sect family’s artifacts.

“You came of age a few months ago. It’s time for you to accept your place in the Lan Sect as my right hand.” Huan said.

“Mn, sound-like something Uncle would say.”

“Wangji,” Huan sighed, “I’m trying to give this moment the importance it deserves.” Huan walked farther into the room and over to a table that had a sword laying on it. The sword was named _Bichen,_ next to it sat a _guqin_. “These belonged to our ancestor whose name you bare, Lan Wangji, Courtesy name, Zhan.”

Wangji stared at the sword and instrument for a moment. He looked at his brother, “What am I _suppose_ d to do with these?”

“Accept them or don’t.” Huan told him, “But if you refuse now, you refuse them for always.”

Wangji frowned. What use did he have for an ancient sword or a Chinese instrument? He didn’t know how to play, but…he stepped closer, he…he could…hear…

Wangji stared at the _guqin._ He could hear the soft strands of a familiar melody floating through his mind. His hand reached out, without him wanting too…

Wangji’s fingers fell onto the strings of the _guqin_ , he plucked at them absently. Until the melody he’d hear in his head, filled the room, it was such a melancholy piece of music that invoked the feelings of love, longing, and sorrow…He could feel it building up, the sorrow turning to anger, the longing to disinterest, the love to apathy… Wangji looked up from the _guqin;_ he could feel the _spiritual power_ under his fingertips. Wangji had never been reliable when it came to wielding _spirit power,_ not like Huan.

Wangji hand strummed across the strings, he aimed the power toward the wall that Huan stood in front of with a wave of Wangji’s side, released the power. Huan’s eyes widen in surprise, and he dived out of the way of the wave of blue spirit power that slammed into the wall-shaking the many items on it.

“Good thing,” Huan muttered, “the room is warded.”

Wangji glared at his brother, then picked up the sword and instrument and left the room.

Lan Xichen, Courtesy name, Huan, sighed, “That went as well as it could.” Lan Xichen had forgotten what a temper his little brother had when it finally snapped.

***

_“It won’t be long now,” the sentence was followed by a ragged cough, from the…beautiful boy, leaning heavily against one of the stones that had been erected as a warning by the native peoples of this land. “Don’t…don’t… look at me that way…”_

_His hand clenched around his sword; he was so…angry. It was his own fault. He should have known better to hope that this time… that this time he would be able to stay by… “Quiet, Wei Ying.” Wei Ying only smiled like the idiot he was, like he didn’t understand._

_“Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying was pale, dark rings under his eyes, a breeze blew and teased the blood-red ribbon that tied back his hair, “you knew…our time was short. Mo Xuanyu’s Golden core was never strong enough to sustain me. He used most of it in the Ritual to resurrect me. And I…,” he broke off coughing again, blood came to his lips._

_The Grand Master of Demonic Cultivation was dying, for a second? Third? Time?_

_“Stay.” Demanded Lan Zhan._

_“You knew…” Wei Ying said, reaching out and tugging on the sleeve of Lan Zhan’s white robe, like he used to do, so long ago, when he wanted Lan Zhan’s attention._

_And so, Lan Zhan had. He had known that Wei Ying’s time was short. So, he had spent every moment he could by his most precious person’s side. And for once, Wei Ying did not try to send him away or leave. Wei Ying had known too._

_“You must…promise…” Wei Ying struggled to speak._

_“Every promise is yours,” Lan Zhan declared._

_Wei Ying smiled softly, “You know what you must do. It’s… the only way…” Lan Zhan knew he had to seal away that horrible piece of Stygian Iron, “Please… I want my last image of you…to be you, doing…what you do…best…”_

_“Mn,” Lan Zhan said, walked over to the stones, the Stygian Tiger Seal was already deeply buried within an underground wellspring, all he had to do was say the spell and make the symbols of power that would lock it way._

_“Lan Zhan?”_

_“Mn,” he turned to look at Wei Ying._

_“Bury me here,” Lan Zhan’s back stiffened at his beloved’s words, “So, my spirit can watch over my mistake.” Wei Ying whispered._

_“Mn,”_

_“Lan Zhan…Lan Zhan…my pretty, pretty Lan Zhan…” Wei Ying muttered, closing his eyes, raising a hand, Lan Zhan turned away pretending he didn’t see the spirit symbols that Wei Ying was drawing in the air and look back to…the Burial Grounds… because this is what the place would become, he would bury his soulmate in this place as he wished._

_“Wei Ying…” Lan Zhan whispered, he closed his eyes and whispered the spell…_

Wangji sat up and wiped a hand over his wet cheeks. He hated that dream. The one where that person died, it had plagued him for as long as he could remember. The worst one was the one with the cliff for some reason that one was the most painful one, and he didn’t know why. He knew no one by the name of Wei Ying and never had. Wangji glared at the table in the corner of his room where the sword and guqin sat. He wasn’t sure why but something told him those two items were going to bring him nothing but trouble.

“ **Wei Ying _…_** ”

Wangji heard a voice call.

“ **Come back…** ”

Wangji blinked, he couldn't have seen what he thought he had. Because for a moment, Wangji thought he saw the vague outline a young man dressed in Lan Sect robes, waist-length hair pinned up in an ornate style that Wangji had only seen in Chinese historical dramas. Standing by the table were the sword and _guqin_ lay.

Wangji ran a hand through his hair and flopped back down, “Great now I’m being haunted,” he muttered, closing his eyes and forcing himself to go back to sleep.

“ **Wei Ying…** ”


	4. CHAPTER FOUR: Spirit of the Burial Grounds

_Wei Ying_ didn’t know what had disturbed his slumber, but something had. He was only supposed to awaken if someone had entered the tomb. Because if anyone had come where he had sealed himself away, that means they were going after the Stygian Tiger Seal. And _Wei Ying_ couldn’t have that! That shiny piece of metal had brought him more trouble than it had been worth. _Wei Ying_ yawned and stretched not from any soreness but more from habit. He looked around the tomb, frowning, his flute, and the Seal was on an altar made of gray stone covered in a layer of dust so thick he almost couldn’t see the items. His gaze bounced around until it lands on the sight of a girl, laying in a pool of blood…

_Wei Ying_ wandered over to her. She could be saved if she could either get a dose of spiritual power or an actual physician helped the girl. _Wei Ying_ took a closer look at the girl; she was kind of pretty her features foreign but attractively put together, her hair was long, dark, and in a simple braid, and she was pale-skinned…too pale…oh, right the blood loss, _Wei Ying_ thought, _Maybe I should do something about that?_

_Wei Ying_ knelt down by the girl, he notices something strange, tendrils of smokey black shadows creped up from the ground, wrapping around the fingers the girl had pressed into the dirt of the tomb. _Resentful Energy_ … The girl was drawing on the resentful energy, _Wei Ying_ cocked his head to the side and took a closer look at the pool of blood that surrounds the girl. It was too big for her to have survived the wound that made it. It hadn’t been the girl’s presents in the tomb that had woke him; she’d had no intention of stealing anything in her state but the rise in the resentful energy!

_Wei Ying_ wondered if she had any spiritual training? Or if she was doing this by instinct? Either way, this was an impressive feat of will power. It was no easy thing to call upon resentful energy the way she is, _Wei Ying_ knew.

The girl’s eyes fluttered open for a moment, and _Wei Ying_ saw that they were a lovely shade of soft brown. The girl’s hand came up, and her fingers with resentful energy weaving around grabbed _Wei Ying’s_ red hair ribbon. She smiled sadly, “I must be dying… to be greeted by such a beautiful angel…”

_Wei Ying’s_ eyes widened. No one had ever called him beautiful but Lan Zhan…but Lan Zhan loved _Wei Ying_ , so of course, the cultivator thought _Wei Ying_ was brilliant in the same way _Wei Ying_ knew Lan Zhan was beautiful.

“You will not die.” _Wei Ying_ told the girl. And if he did what he was thinking of doing? She would not die. It wouldn’t heal her entirely, but it would help her be strong enough to get out of the tomb and get help for her wound. “I will help you.”

“Why?” The girl muttered like she couldn’t believe anyone wanted to help her.

_Wei Ying_ smiled at her, “Because I can.”

“Of course, the pretty spirit of the Burial Grounds wants to help you, Xander,” she muttered to herself, “you are hallucinating! You know, you’re in this hole alone.”

_Wei Ying’s_ smile turned into a frowned as he said, “You are not! I’m here! I’m real!”

The girl turned her head away, still muttering to herself. _Wei Ying_ watched as he resentful energy slow retreated from the girl’s hands, and he realized that the girl had passed out and really was too close to death for comfort. _Wei Ying_ knew he did have much _spiritual power_ to spare, but he’d have enough to help this girl. He put his hands on her shoulders and started to feed her the _spirit power._ After a moment he froze, he sensed something, looking deeper into the girl’s spirit, he noticed something. The girl had a Golden core! She had _Wei Ying’s_ Golden core! His original one! The one that he had given to his brother all those years ago.

For a moment, _Wei Ying_ wondered how that was possible? He had known that once his brother had passed from that life that the Golden core would either stay with his brother or return to _Wei Ying_ once, _Wei Ying_ died. But he had sealed his spirit into this tomb instead of dying the way he was supposed too.

_Wei Ying_ was brought out of his thought when the girl roused again; she glared at him, “Your still here,” she said flatly.

_Wei Ying_ smirked, “It’s my tomb; of course, I’m still here. But you shouldn’t be. My name is Wei Ying Courtesy Wuxian.”

“Nice to know the name of the person I’ll be sharing a grave with,” the girl said, “I’m Xander Harris.”

“Nice to meet you,” _Wei Ying_ said, then grinned down at her, “how about we do something to that will get us both out of here?”

“And how are we going to do that?” Xander asked, glaring at him, “If you hadn’t noticed, I have a hole that goes through my back and out my front. I’ve bled out more blood than I thought a human had in their body. If I move? I barely have the energy to talk to you. Moving isn’t going to happen anytime soon.”

_Wei Ying_ leaned down, his lips inches from hers, as he said, “Who said anything about moving?”

_Wei Ying_ kissed his Golden Core.

_Xander watched her sister dip out bowls of lotus root and pork rib soup… his sister was the best sister ever, for fixing his favorite meal!_

_Xander frowned, she didn’t have a sister, did she?_

_Xander rolled her eyes, listening to her brother as he screamed at her. He didn’t know what he’d done this time, but his brother was mad at him…again._

_Xander frowned, she didn’t have a brother, did she?_

_Xander sat next to Lan Zhan, shivering in next to him in the cold cave. He’d been weird about the ribbon ever since he wrapped it around his wrist. Maybe it meant more to the Lan Sect than Lan Zhan had told him? It didn’t matter, he thought, snuggling closer to Lan Zhan, he was just going to enjoy the time he spent with his favorite person…he yawned, with the person he had come to…he was so sleepy…he’d come…to…love?_

_Xander frowned. She didn’t love anyone, did she?_

_War against the Wens… dying for the first time… the first time? At the Burial Bounds…learning to use Resentful Energy, learning to play the flute in order to control it. So much death… Wen Ning, the Ghost General…one of his greatest sins…but not the last…the death of his sister…death, destruction, death… why does everything I touch turn to such utter shit? Tears ran of sorrow, and rage ran down his face._

_Xander frowned, she hadn’t been the cause of anyone’s death, had she?_

_Xander watched Yuan spin the butterfly toy in his small hands. His son was the bright light in his dark life. He sighed if only Lan Zhan were here… He smirked to himself, wondering what Lan Zhan would do once he found out that he’s named the man the other boy’s adopted father?_

_Xander frowned, she didn’t have a son, did she?_

_Xander watched the…utter carnage of the battle that was taking place below her. The brightness of the light of the full moon made the action clear to see from her vantage point. As she stood near the edge of the cliff that the Nightless City was built on. The tails of her long black and red robes rustled from the winds that blew. Causing them to beat against her legs like the wings of a bird against bars of a cage._

_Cage? Yes, that was the reason why she was here. They wanted to cage her. Well, some of them. The others had tried to use him for his power. Or more likely for the power of the Stygian Tiger Seal. The corner of his mouth tipped up in what might have been called a smirk. If it wasn’t for the horror that shone in his sorrow-filled brown eyes. As he watched the chameleon shaped piece of Stygian Iron bounce away from the greedy fingertips of all who attempted to catch it._

_“Wei Ying!”_

_He closed his eyes…this person… Lan Zhan… he could feel a tear escape his eye and run down his cheek. He ignored it, what else could he do?_

_“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan said, holding out a hand to him, “Come back!”_

_There was no going back. Not now. Too many bridges had been burned. He regretted only a few of them. This sister’s death, his sister’s husband’s death, the loss of his brother’s golden core, the death of Wen Qing… the end of the people he had sworn to protect. And he had…failed. He had failed all of them._

_He back away as Lan Zhan came closer… his heel feeling where the cliff ended…_

_“Wei Ying…”_

_He let go of his flute and spread his arms…and let himself fall back…knowing that when he hit bottom? The hurting would finally…stop…_

_No! NO! No! This was a nightmare! It couldn’t be real! This was her nightmare…her death she had seen for years now! The sensation of free fall caused bile to rise up in Xander’s throat, she opened her mouth…_

_Wei Ying_ turned into clouds of Resentful Energy that had gold sparkling throughout it. She was wrapped in the thick fog, as the spirit of _Wei Ying_ sank into her. Xander’s scream of rage and resentment sent a shockwave throughout the tomb, and into the underground cave system, it was attached to making the town above it shake and quake until Xander’s scream died.

When Xander came back to herself, she realized she wasn’t in as much pain as before, looking down at her wound she could see it wasn’t quite as bad as before but nowhere near to being healed. She crawled to her knees then stumble up to her feet, swaying, catching herself on the stone altar where the Stygian Tiger Seal and her, no, _Wei Ying’s_ flute sat. Xander stared at both items for a long moment time before finally nodding to herself and picked up both pieces. She looked down at the Seal and willed it to become smaller, as to create a tiny clasp. The Tiger Seal did as it’s master commanded. Xander hooked the little chameleon shaped charm to the flute. She would have to give both a good cleaning as soon as she could. Xander stuck the flute into the back pocket of her jean’s she felt it press the opposite side of her back across from her wound.

“ ** _We must leave, Xander,_** ” Wei Ying said, “ ** _you won’t have the energy to stay standing for long._** ”

As much as Xander wanted to disagree with the spirit, she knew he was right. She had to get out of here and get help for her wound. She looked around, she could go into the cave system and try and find an entrance into the sewers, but she was afraid that would take too long. Xander walked back to the blood-stained ground, her blood and looked up, then at the wall that led up to the opening she had been pushed threw— _don’t think about that right now_ , Xander thought. Such thoughts were not going to be helpful right now. Xander walked over to the wall. It had dips and rocks points sticking out of it all the way to the top, where the opening to the tomb.

Xander reached above her head and grabbed on to one and started to pull herself up the wall slowly…


	5. Old Drama

“Agh, he’s playing again!”

The sorrow-filled sounds of a melody played on the guqin, filled the many rooms and hallways of Cloud Recesses. Huan admitted, if only to himself, that he preferred to the overly played sounds of _Inquiry_ rather than this…piece of music that the junior Lan disciple complained about. This simple melody invoked not just feelings of heart-breaking sorrow but of the regret of a lost unspoken of love and the longing to see the lost unspoken of love again. For the last two weeks, Huan’s brother had been playing this piece of music over and again. As if he was trying to perfect this piece of music. That would be fine if there were any variations in the composition. And when his brother wasn’t playing this piece, he was playing _Inquiry_. Huan feared that Wangji was seeking answers from the _spirits_ and not getting the ones he wanted or any at all.

“Sect Leader should make him stop!” Another junior disciple said.

“Oh, hush up,” said a third, “I think it’s pretty and better than the silence we normally have the rest of the time.”

“I’m sure it’s against one of the rules!”

Wangji only stopped playing to take care of his bodily needs. If it wasn’t for Huan forcing his brother to meals? Huan was sure his brother would just play his music through them instead of eating. Huan couldn’t figure out why his brother was acting out in this manner. Huan had when he claimed his sword and dizi, no, Huan had been an emotional wreck for weeks after he had remembered his past life. One that had been full of disappointment, destruction, and death. Huan had sworn to himself that things would be better this time around. When he’d found the Jiangs and Wens and realized he wasn’t crazy was just the first step in making sure what happened then wouldn’t happen now. He would not see the past repeat, Huan would do anything to keep his brother’s heart safe this time.

Wangji could find an ordinary love this time. No demonic cultivators would come near his brother. If Huan was lucky? Wei Wuxian would still be sealed up with the Stygian Tiger Seal and would be a non-issue in this life. Huan sighed, while that was a careful thought the fact that Wangji played _that_ particular melody proved that Lan Zhan’s heart still belonged to the _Yiling Lazou._

***

Jiang Yanli and her brother were on their way to their home near Sunnydale’s Chinatown district, from the movie theater. They had stayed for the double feature, and it was now close to midnight. A dangerous time to be out and about in their quaint little home town, they knew. Most of the Sects knew just how dangerous the Hellmouth was for their city and, in the past, had done what they could to protect it. Though it had seemed in the last five years or so, things had just gotten worst for Sunnydale. The vampires didn’t even try to conceal their hunting, demons would just grab people off the street. Yanli knew that not all demons were evil. Some supernatural creatures that could be classified as demons were only regular people that wanted to live their best life without being afraid that someone would like them for merely being a supernatural being and not human.

“We should hurry, Yanli,” Cheng said, eyes glancing around Yiling Street, warily. They didn’t want to run into any of the vampires that hunted near Restfield Cemetery, nor did they want to run into the Slayer that killed them.

Yanli nodded at him but knew if they did run into a vampire, she did have the power to protect them. She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, the spirit weapon had a bit of an attitude at times by would let itself be wielded if called on by Yanli. It never responded to Cheng because of his weak Golden Core. Though her brother could do some spirit magic, he wasn’t strong enough to wield a spirit weapon. Many of Jiang Sect thought Cheng may never be able to do so. Their complains about by the Jiang Sect being led by Cheng had only gotten louder ever since their parents were killed last year.

A low moan of pain caught her attention, Yanli, stopped, and looked around. She could not leave someone who was hurt behind as vampire food. She looked at her brother, and while his expression was an unhappy one, Cheng nods back to her in agreement. They would help this person… but they knew this could be a trap so they would be cautious. It would not be the first time a vampire used one of their injured prey as bait. It was a lazy hunting tactic, Yanli thought, but a popular one. Why hunt? When a happy meal is delivered to you?

The moan sounded again, and Yanli could see someone leaning against the Yiling Street sign. No, Yanli realized, not leaning but using it to prop themselves up, it seemed to be working until it wasn’t and the figure slid down the pole of the sign until they were sitting, arms wrapped around the pole of the street sign, their forehead pressed against it.

As Yanli and Cheng made their way over to the figure, Yanli could see it was a girl. Once they got close enough, Yanli could hear the girl muttering to herself,

“…that’s not important right now!”

Yanli and Cheng exchanged a look, then Cheng straightened his shoulders and marched over to the girl. Yanli sighed to herself. Her little brother was so brave! Yet, so foolhardy.

“Miss,” Cheng asked softly, “Miss, are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

The girl looked up, and once her long dark hair wasn’t obscuring her face, Yanli could see how pretty the girl was in an unassuming next-door type of way. The girl gave Cheng a blindingly bright smile. And said, in near-perfect Chinese, “Xiongdi, ni zhaodao wo,” _You found me_ , Yanli thought, the girl continued to speak, “Gege hao shuai,” _Brother is so handsome_ , Yanli translated in her head, “Ni cubao de da jiejie!” _You brought big sister_! “Faxian wei ying wu xian _!” Found Wei Ying Wuxian_!

Cheng’s eyes widen at the name.

“Meiyou yiyuan,” _No hospital_ , Yanli thought, and the girl promptly passed out. Cheng looked down at her for a moment before he knelt down and picked her up.

“Didi?” Yanli asked.

“We have to get her somewhere safe,” Cheng said, protectively.

“Of course,” Then Yanli noticed the blood that was dripping steadily onto the ground, “Cheng,” she hissed, “she’s hurt!”

“Then we better hurry.”

They quickly made their way down the street, leaving Restfield Cemetery behind them. Yanli shot her brother a close look. It wasn’t like him to be so willing to be so helpful so quickly. While she knew her brother would never be so cruel as to leave someone to die on the street, he wasn’t so quick to effort his help. Cheng didn’t like people much as a rule. A thought came to Yanli, and she asked,

“Is she like you, Huan and the Wens?” Cheng gave her a sharp look and nodded. Her brother, Lan Huan, and the Wens, Qing, Ning, and Yuan all remembered a shared past life. Yanli didn’t. They said she had share it with them but didn’t remember because back then, her Golden Core had been weak, and she had suffered trauma before she had died and blocked out the past life. That past life was why Cheng had a weak Golden Core in this one, things had happened, and he had lost his original Golden Core. It had been replaced with another in that life, but it had caused him problems when using _spiritual power_.

“Let’s hope Wen Qing is awake,” Cheng muttered. On that, Yanli agreed. Qing could get so grumpy when you woke her up, but what else could one expect from a medical student.


End file.
